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Why Turkey Accepted Jordan’s Demand To Revise Their Free Trade Agreement?

April 9, 2018 By administrator

Harut Sassounian

By Harut Sassounian

Publisher, The California Courier

www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

Before the recent turmoil in relations between Turkey and several countries in the Middle East, Europe and the United States, Syria and Jordan had signed a Free Trade Agreement and visa-free travel with Turkey hoping to benefit from its growing economy.

Relations between Syria and Turkey quickly deteriorated starting in 2011 when Turkey supported Islamic Jihadists undermining the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Earlier this year, going a step further, Turkey brazenly invaded Northern Syria, occupying the town of Afrin and announcing the intention to expand its invasion.

Consequently, the mutual trade agreement and visa-free travel between Turkey and Syria were cancelled. Recently, Jordan suspended its own trade agreement with Turkey, after warning repeatedly that it was one-sided and benefited Turkey much more than Jordan. Turkish exports to Jordan in 2016 amounted to $710 million, whereas Jordan’s exports to Turkey totaled only $102 million.

Jordan pledged to reactivate the agreement if Turkey agreed to certain revisions, including “the Turkish side’s consent to protection measures Jordan will design to protect local industries, increasing Turkish technical assistance to Jordan as stipulated by the FTA [Free Trade Agreement], and reconsidering the ‘strict’ rules of origin specifications applied by Turkey,” according to The Jordan Times.

Surprisingly, Turkey consented to renegotiate the Free Trade Agreement which was signed in 2011. This was a departure from Turkey’s usual aggressive tactic to threaten and bully both friends and opponents to submit to its wishes.

The government of Jordan should be commended for its tough stand in defense of its interests, despite the fact that, in recent months, several developments had strengthened Turkey-Jordan relations. Both countries vehemently criticized Pres. Trump’s recent decision to relocate the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. On Feb. 21, the two countries also signed a military cooperation agreement. Furthermore, Turkey had agreed to “exempt 500 Jordanian goods from customs duties,” according to the Al-Monitor news website.

Prof. Pinar Tremblay, in an Al-Monitor article analyzed the four factors that would impact the renegotiation of the Turkish-Jordanian trade agreement.

The first obstacle is the displeasure of Saudi Arabia, UAE and Egypt with Turkey for supporting their antagonist Qatar. Saudi Crown Prince Muhammed bin Salman went as far as calling Turkey a member of the “Triangle of Evil” along with Islamic militants and Iran! The anti-Turkish posture of Saudi Arabia, UAE and Egypt puts pressure on Jordan to be more cautious in its relations with Turkey. The reason Turkey is trying to accommodate Jordan is to break out of its isolation from major Sunni Arab countries.

The second obstacle is most Sunni leaders’ hostility towards Iran. This antagonism spills over the resentment of Turkey by Saudi Arabia, UAE and Egypt due to persistent Turkish relations with Iran. Turkey is trying to boost its relations with Jordan, because of its need for allies in the Arab world. In recent years, Turkish President Erdogan has aspired to become the leader of Sunni Muslims rivaling Saudi Arabia, the home of Islam’s two holy sanctuaries: Mecca and Medina.

The third obstacle is Saudi Arabia’s desire to spread its influence over the Arab world opposing Turkish expansionist policies. That is why Saudi Arabia and Turkey are competing for the friendship of the Kingdom of Jordan, among others. Tremblay reported that “at the end of December, Turkey acquired a 99-year lease from Sudan for Suakin Island, increasing Turkey’s presence in the Red Sea. This move has unnerved the countries that identify themselves as ‘the Arab Anti-Terror Quartet’ (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain). Turkey’s relations with African nations are flourishing. Not everyone is happy about such developments, and this could cause problems for Turkish-Jordanian relations.”

Prof. Tremblay described the fourth challenge as financial: “Turkey wants Jordanian markets but faces roadblocks posed by Gulf countries. Since March 2016, Turkey and Jordan have been trying to plan, without success, a maritime route between Turkish ports (Iskenderun) and Jordan’s port of Aqaba to reach out to Gulf markets. Yet without political compromises, economic cooperation does not seem sustainable in the region. Turkish Airlines restarted direct flights March 19 between Istanbul and Aqaba. Intriguingly, also in March, the Saudi crown prince was in Cairo discussing the proposed multibillion-dollar King Salman Bridge to link Egypt and Saudi Arabia through the entrance of the Gulf of Aqaba; some see this as a reaction to the Aqaba flights and the maritime route project. During his March 12 visit to the Jordanian capital of Amman, the UAE foreign minister reportedly promised to help Jordan with its various economic challenges and establish stronger regional ties. Turkey believes these developments are behind Jordan’s suspension of the free trade agreement. Jordanian business people and analysts concur that the UAE and Saudi Arabia had a hand in the suspension decision.”

Tremblay concluded that “Turkey desperately needs to diversify its opportunities in foreign policy. Repeated mistakes and costly failures have significantly limited Turkish foreign policy options in the past. In the past decade, Turkey’s ambitions and rhetoric have not matched its capabilities and achievements. Yet in regard to the free trade agreement with Jordan, Ankara is not only determined but also well-organized. If Turkey can overcome the obstacles outlined, a free trade agreement revision would indeed be a win for Ankara.”

Demand Truth + Justice for the Armenian Genocide

March 25, 2016 By administrator

Urge Passage of Senate and House Armenian Genocide Resolutions

Ask your Senators and U.S. Representative to work for a truthful and just resolution of the Armenian Genocide by supporting the adoption of S.Res.140 and H.Res.154

This is the right time to act, during the Armenian Genocide Centennial year and in the wake of the vast global awareness raised around April 24th by Pope Francis and so many others.

H.Res.154, a bipartisan measure spearheaded by Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairman Robert

http://cqrcengage.com/anca/app/write-a-letter?0&engagementId=103633#action

Russia demands inquiry into Ankara’s abuse of Kurds’ rights

March 17, 2016 By administrator

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has called for an investigation into reports of the violation of Kurds’ rights by the Turkish government in the country’s southeastern region.

The Russian foreign minister made the remarks during a joint press conference with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry in the Russian capital, Moscow, on Wednesday.

“Any reports, particularly those documented ones, about rude and large scale human rights abuse and violations of international humanitarian law must be investigated. There are special international procedures for that,” Lavrov said.

The top diplomat called on the international community to respond to the situation.

According to reports from Turkey’s Kurdish areas in the southeast, entire residential blocks have been destroyed in the cities of Cizre and Diyarbakir, a devastation resembling some neighborhoods in Syria after five years of foreign-backed militancy.

There have also been reports of a massacre of dozens or possibly hundreds of Kurdish civilians, including children, in Cizre at the hands of Turkish soldiers.

A report by a rights group also says more than 160 civilians, including 29 women, 32 children, and 24 elderly people, were killed from August to December last year in Turkey’s Kurdish areas.

Lavrov accused Ankara of targeting the Kurds immediately after a deadly attack in the capital city last year, which Turkey blamed on the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants without launching an investigation or announcing official findings.

“The Turkish side began to use this as a pretext to justify the ongoing missile and artillery attacks of Syrian territory in the areas traditionally inhabited by Kurds,” Lavrov added.

He further warned that Turkey’s actions in the region were undermining the negotiated cessation of hostilities in Syria as a new round of indirect talks on the crisis is underway between the Damascus government and the foreign-backed opposition in Geneva, Switzerland.

Since last August, Turkey has imposed nearly 60 curfews in its Kurdish regions, disrupting the lives of some 1.4 million people living in those areas.

Kurds make up between 10 and 25 percent of Turkey’s population.

Tensions have been on the rise between the Turkish government and PKK militants since Ankara launched its operations against their positions in southeastern Turkey, northern Syria and Iraq.

PKK militants, who accuse the Turkish government of supporting the Daesh (ISIL) terrorist group in Iraq and Syria, have also engaged in a series of attacks against Turkish police and security forces.

Baghdad showing Back bone ‘Incursion’: Baghdad demands Turkey withdraw ‘training’ troops from northern Iraq

December 4, 2015 By administrator

REUTERS/Sertac Kayar – RTX1R28Z

The Iraqi government has demanded that Ankara withdraw the more than 100 Turkish forces that entered Iraq with tanks and artillery for alleged “training” of troops near Islamic State-occupied Mosul. Baghdad stressed the unsanctioned move was a breach of its sovereignty.

The Iraqi foreign ministry said in a statement early on Saturday that the Turkish troops were acting in violation of the country’s sovereignty and demanded the forces withdraw immediately. “Around one regiment armoured with tanks and artillery” has entered the northern Nineveh area, according to the statement from the Iraqi Prime Minister’s media office.

The unauthorized presence of Turkish troops in Mosul province is a serious breach of Iraqi sovereignty https://t.co/s051sa8ls6

— Haider Al-Abadi حيدر العبادي (@HaiderAlAbadi) December 4, 2015

However, according to two US defense officials quoted by Reuters, Turkey’s deployment is not part of the efforts of the US-led coalition battling Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL).

On Friday, 130 Turkish soldiers equipped with heavy weapons were deployed at a military base on the outskirts of the city of Mosul, which is currently held by IS, according to the Daily Sabah newspaper.

According to Cumhuriyet newspaper, the number of the deployed Turkish troops amounts to at least 150.

The town of Bashiqa is located about 10 kilometers northeast of Mosul.

Mosul, Iraq’s second biggest city, was seized by Islamic State in June 2014 and has been fully governed by militants ever since. Moreover, the extremist group captured large stockpiles of weapons and ammunition that were stored in the city.

“In the collapse of Mosul, we lost a lot of weapons,” Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in an interview with Iraqiya state TV in June. “We lost 2,300 Humvees in Mosul alone,” he added.

The Turkish intrusion into Iraq comes shortly after Ankara’s motives in the war on Islamic State have been questioned by Moscow, Tehran, as well as by Baghdad.

The Russian government has been particularly vocal in pointing the finger at the illegal oil trade between IS terrorists and the Turks. Moscow-Ankara relations deteriorated after a Turkish F-16 jet downed a Russian Su-24 bomber on the Syrian-Turkish border for an alleged airspace violation on November 24, while the Russian jet was returning from an anti-terrorist mission. In the days after, the Russian Defense Ministry presented detailed photo and video evidence showing three huge “live pipelines” made of oil trucks effortlessly crossing the Syrian border into Turkey in militant-controlled areas.

Turkish rights groups demand recognition, apology for Genocide

April 20, 2015 By administrator

Human rights organizations in Turkey, under the umbrella group “100th Year – Stop Denialism,” have issued a statement on the threshold of the Armenian Genocide centenary, the Armenian Weekly reports.

The statement says:

“An indelible, massive crime was committed in these lands, 100 years ago—a crime that will remain irreversible, irremediable, and unforgivable. During the genocide of 1915, Armenians and other Christian peoples of Asia Minor, among them Assyrians and Rums, were targeted by a systematic politics of extermination, and destroyed along with their social organizations, economy, arts and crafts, and historical and cultural heritage.

Our initiative “100th Year – Stop Denialism” was established to commemorate the genocide on April 24, in Istanbul and Diyarbakır. The initiative brings together (in alphabetical order) the Anatolian Cultures and Research Association (Aka-Der), Human Rights Association (HRA) – Committee against Racism and Discrimination, Nor Zartonk, Platform for Confronting History, Turabdin Assyrians Platform, and Zan Foundation for Social, Political, and Economic Research. Our initiative is also supported by the Gomidas Institute (London), the Armenian Council of Europe, and Collectif Van (Paris), whose representatives will be joining us.

Shame and responsibility are the basis of the “100th Year – Stop Denialism Initiative’s” conceptualization of the commemoration. We believe that any commemoration of the crime of genocide on these lands will have to express the responsibility of genocide denial itself, and the shame felt by the descendants of the peoples who have had the opportunity for growth, development, and enrichment in the absence of–due to the absence of–the peoples who fell victim to genocide.

While this understanding constitutes the ethical core of our acts of commemoration on April 24, our concrete demands are for recognition, apology, compensation, and restitution.

Our initiative’s commemorations begin at 11 a.m. on April 24, in front of the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts on Sultanahmet Square, where we will hold a moment of silence in memory of the victims. This building was known as the central prison in 1915; individuals from the Istanbul Armenian community, including intellectual leaders, were arrested in their homes, detained here, and then sent off to the Haydarpaşa train station.

After the moment of silence, we will begin our “Genocide March,” walking in silence from Sultanahmet to Eminönü, and then crossing over to Haydarpaşa by sea. The detainees of April 24, 1915, were deported from Haydarpaşa to the depths of the country—in actual fact, to their deaths. Here, our “Genocide March” will end with another commemoration.

From Haydarpaşa, we will proceed to the Şişli Armenian Cemetery to commemorate Sevag Şahin Balıkçı, who fell victim to a ethnic-hate murder on April 24, 2011, while on mandatory military duty in Batman, and express our support to the Balıkçı family in their pursuit of justice.

Before and after the events of the “100th Year – Stop Denialism Initiative,” the constituents of the initiative will participate in two other events. Representatives of the Armenian Council of Europe, who were invited to Istanbul by the HRA Committee Against Racism and Discrimination, will hold a commemoration on Beyazıt Square at 10 a.m. on the same day, April 24. Members of the HRA Committee Against Racism and Discrimination, human rights defenders, and activists against genocide denial will participate in the commemoration of 20 Henchak Party leaders and members who were executed by hanging on June 15, 1915–yet another mass execution, of symbolic import, during the period of the Armenian Genocide.

A protest march organized by Nor Zartonk will start out at 6:30 p.m., from Galatasaray Lycée and head toward Taksim Square, followed by a 100th year commemoration event led by the Platform for Commemorating the Armenian Genocide, at 7:15 p.m., at the Taksim end of Istiklal Street.

Concurrently, in Diyarbakır, the Human Rights Association Diyarbakır branch and the Gomidas Institute are jointly organizing a commemoration of Armenian and Assyrian victims in the ruins of Surp Sarkis Church at noon on April 24, with support from the Diyarbakır Bar Association and the Zan Foundation.

The struggle for genocide recognition and against denialism will end neither on April 24, 2015, nor on Dec 31, 2015. Until the state of the Republic of Turkey and the majority following official ideology recognize the crime and take steps toward compensation for the irreversible and irremediable losses, we will persevere in our pursuit of justice for the genocide victims of Asia Minor and for their descendants, who are dispersed around the world or who continue to live under the conditions of genocide perpetuated by denial.”

Winter tourism in Armenia Travel agencies say the demand exceeds the available supply

December 17, 2014 By administrator

Although the holidays are not affordable for many in Armenia, especially during the winter months, demand exceeds supply announce travel agencies.

“The customers book tickets much earlier now because from November there was not a vacant room in any hotel in Tsakhkadzor,” said the founder of the Tourist Association Marina Kpryan reporters.

A journey of 4-5 days outside of Yerevan a family of four must spend 300,000 to 800,000 drams (approximately 660 to $ 1700), all inclusive, depending Hakob Hakobyan President of the Association of Hotels and Executive Director Tufenkyan the society.

According to official statistics, last year in Armenia around 670 000 people have preferred such leave, an increase of 30.1 percent compared to 2012. In the first six months of this year, about 100,000 tourists were recorded 30.4 percent growth compared to the same period of 2013.

According to Hakobyan, the outcome of the meeting with the heads of five hotels show that compared data from last year’s sales are the same, which suggests that many Armenians prefer to spend the winter holidays outside countries.

Sona Yeghiazaryan director Joel travel agency said that Armenians prefer most of the time from hot countries such as Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Thailand, spending $ 700 to $ 800 per person on average.

“Europe is a favorable destination, only in this case, there is a problem with embassies, and those who want to leave have to look after their visa dice in August as we begin our bookings in August,” said Yeghiazaryan .dropoff window

Meanwhile, representatives of tourism sphere appreciate the growth of tourism receipts in Armenia but nevertheless regrets they emphasize that specifically winter is not considered an active season, because it is not filled with cultural events and the offers are limited to the parties in restaurants and concerts.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Economy last year Armenia was visited by over a million tourists – 12.6 percent more than in 2012 and the first six months of this year – around half a million or 17.3 percent more than during the same period last year.

To improve service for tourists this year three new hotels have been opened in Armenia, which, according to Hakob Hakobyan, has enriched the market supply by 550 new rooms. Next year, 300 rooms should be added.

“In Yerevan, we can find a room for every budget – from 15,000 drams to 700,000 drams (about $ 30 – $ 1500). The average price is 45,000 dramsD (about $ 100) including breakfast, and for a capital this is a normal price, “said Hakobyan predicting higher prices in the area.

“If food becomes more expensive it will be reflected on food expenditures by the hotel as” he has said.

By Sara Khojoyan

ArmeniaNow